Service Improvement Plan (SIP) Template and Example

We want to make the creating of a service improvement plan as straight forward as possible, so please feel free to use the below template as a guide to help you document your own service improvment plan.

A Service Improvement Plan (SIP) is a structured document used in the field of service management, particularly within the framework of ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library), to outline a detailed approach for improving a specific service or process. The main purpose of an SIP is to document how a service will be enhanced to meet or exceed customer expectations and business requirements.

A SIP can be used internally as described above, however, if you have an underperforming supplier its also best practice for them to address this by creating a service improvement plan and sharing it with you.

Key Characteristics of an SIP:

  1. Goal-Oriented: Focuses on specific objectives, such as reducing response times, increasing customer satisfaction, or improving process efficiency.
  2. Actionable Steps: Includes a clear action plan with steps to achieve the desired improvements.
  3. Responsibility Assignment: Assigns clear responsibilities to individuals or teams for each action or initiative.
  4. Measurable Metrics: Incorporates metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate progress and success.
  5. Timeline Specific: Provides a timeline for implementation, review, and completion of improvement activities.

When to Use a SIP:

  1. Post-Service Review: After a service review or audit that highlights areas needing improvement.
  2. Customer Feedback: In response to customer feedback or complaints indicating dissatisfaction with current service levels.
  3. Change in Business Requirements: When business needs or objectives change, requiring service adjustments to align with new goals.
  4. Technology Upgrades: To integrate and make the best use of new technologies or systems that can enhance service delivery.
  5. Regulatory Compliance: To ensure services comply with new or updated regulations and standards.
  6. Performance Metrics: When performance metrics indicate a service is not meeting its targets or industry benchmarks.
  7. Continual Service Improvement (CSI) Process: As part of the ITIL CSI process, where the goal is to systematically improve service quality over time.

Service Improvement Plan (SIP) for Help Desk Support

Introduction

Objective: Improve the response time and quality of Help Desk support.

Scope

Objectives and Goals

  1. Reduce average response time from 15 minutes to 5 minutes within 6 months.
  2. Improve first contact resolution rate from 50% to 75% in 9 months.
  3. Increase user satisfaction rating from 3.5 to 4.5 (out of 5) within a year.

Responsibilities

Action Plan

  1. Staff Training:
  2. Upgrade Help Desk Software:
  3. Feedback Mechanism:

Timelines